April 28, 2008

Undrafted Rookie Free Agents Signed By New Orleans

The first undrafted rookie the Saints picked was really their final draft pick. The Saints likely couldn't outbid other teams for the services of Adrian Arrington, so they quickly sent their 2009 sixth round pick to Green Bay for the 237th overall pick in the late seventh round and drafted him.

All rookies will report the day before the Saints' initial minicamp on May 9.

The following is a list of undrafted rookies signed by New Orleans following the NFL Draft.

Toothpick. Tall, lanky long strider and a great jumper. Not physical enough or thick enough to go over the middle in the NFL. Decent enough collegiate receiver but will have to make his pro mark on special teams, as he just won't be able to seperate in training camp. Torn left ACL in spring of 2005 but played the entire season the next fall and gained 1000 yards receiving on his way to setting three school records for receiving. Good hands. Was sick in 2006 with mononucleosis.

Three year starter at both tackle positions. Did not allow a sack in 2006. Missed all of the 2007 season with a torn ACL suffered in August. Very tough, two-way player in high school and an ironman for Utah. Redshirted his freshman season. Father and brother both played for BYU, another brother Aaron played receiver at the University of Kentucky and is in the Arena Football League. Decent athlete who will have to play guard at the NFL level. Fighter in the trenches and solid character.

Not signed, but will be given a tryout at the rookie minicamp. Productive at college level. Converted safety, high school wide receiver. Better receiver, not an accomplished blocker. Played both offense and defense early on. Good intangibles, very smart.

Gerald Davis, offensive lineman, Valdosta State
6'4, 300 pounds

Played all over the line, mostly left and right tackle, for four years. All-Gulf South Conference. Three year starter, played all four.

Started at middle linebacker as a senior before a high ankle sprain forced him to the bench. Better football player than athlete. Reportedly ran a 4.4 40 yard dash when he was recruited out of high school as a runningback. Very productive as a linebacker. Scored on a 94 yard fumble return. Team captain, great intangibles and work ethic. Can learn and be coached, having made the transition from offense to defense successfully. Knack for pass coverage but will be outmatched in the NFL at outside linebacker. Plays big.

Not given a contract, only a tryout at the rookie minicamp. Undersized, very productive collegiate linebacker that will probably move to safety. Had 19 tackles in one game for the Sycamores. Shoulder injury in '05. Very quick and as is to be expected from his size, has good straight line speed. Born in Jamaica. Indiana State didn't win a game in 2007, though Faulkner had 113 tackles. Added 10+ pounds since the end of the offseason, played under 220. Reportedly runs under 4.50.

Son of Jumpy Geathers, who played six seasons for the Saints. Jeremy was born and lived in New Orleans during Jumpy's career with the Saints. Has two other family members who have played in the NFL, including current cousin DE Robert Geathers, Jr. Good weight strength, 29 reps of 225. Juco transfer started two seasons at UNLV with 11 sacks in 21 starts. Its too aggressive in his pass rush and needs more refinement to his game. Is undersized to be anything more than a pass rush specialist in a 4-3 scheme, unless the Saints plan on completely overhauling him by moving him to linebacker.

Lynell Hamilton, runningback, San Diego State
6'0, 235 pounds

Career backup in college. Was a freshman All-American in 2003 and but ended it with a fractured ankle and leg. Left knee meniscus tear has hampered him for the past two years. Rotator cuff injury in 2007. Coaches got him on the field as a senior by moving him to fullback. Great size for a power runningback and has worked so, so hard to get to this point.

Has contract offer on table to play quarterback in the CFL. Will get a tryout at rookie camp. Caught passes for Saints scouts at his pro day, but was a dual-purpose quarterback at SC State. A shade under 6'2 with a 35" vertical, is raw and played small school ball but is a great athlete.

Played guard and center for Yellow Jackets. Missed last half of his senior season because of a shoulder injury but started previous two and a half years. Wide and strong but slow feet. Has the perfect mentality and is smart. Went on the same high school trip as Natalee Holloway, who went missing in Aruba and made national headlines.

Akim Millington, offensive lineman, Illinois
6'6, 315 pounds

Blocked for Reshard Mendenhall and Pierre Thomas starting at right tackle. Won a starting job at Oklahoma but transferred and sat out 2005 season. Native of Trinidad. Huge frame, but poor mobility and agility. Cannot pull. Better in pass blocking. 2006 ankle injury and some durability concerns.

Only invited to the Saints' rookie minicamp without a contract. Charged in 2006 bar fight for assault. Suspended for missing class. Swapped starting with Syvelle Newton in 2006 and was benched in favor of Chris Smelley in 2007. Moves well enough. Probably doesn't have the intangibles to be a pro quarterback and freelances too much, without the big payoff. Failed to progress in college despite playing for Steve Spurrier. Recruited by Lou Holtz.

Evan Moore, tight end, Stanford
6'7, 236 pounds, 4.67 40 yard dash

One of Ostrander's targets. 39/481/1 TD as a senior. Major dislocated hip injury in 2005 ended his season and has rehabbed a stress fracture in his foot. Also played on Stanford's basketball team as a forward before leaving the team in 2005 to focus on basketball. Family is from Mexico and Moore speaks Spanish. More quick than fast, and is as big as they come in the NFL. Great hands, very tough. Ended his senior season in a bad way, dropping a late touchdown that led to his team's loss to a horrible Notre Dame squad. Played wide receiver for the Cardinal. Decent 35" vertical.

A backup to Trent Edwards for two years, then when he emerged as the starter, a seizure suffered after the fourth game of the season knocked him out of the starting lineup. Mentally fast, has all the intangibles and a solid release. Played in Stanford's pro-style offense. Very average arm.

Waylon Prather, punter, San Jose State
6'3, 225 pounds

All-WAC in 2006, put 38% of his kicks inside the 20 as a senior, averging 39.5 per punt. Did not kick off. Great accuracy, average leg strength. Because the college didn't have a kicking coach, Prather walked on and taught himself to kick. Uses a kicking style that minimizes bounce and roll after the ball lands, the likely explanation for his mastery of the coffin corner placement. Great all-around athlete and a willing tackler.

David Roach, safety, TCU
6'1, 212 pounds, 4.53 40 yard dash

Solidly built and a great athlete, fantastic leaper, though undersized for your typical NFL safety. Very raw, and doesn't have the skills to play anything but strong safety because of his speed limitations in coverage. Durability concerns center around recurring hamstring problems. Very productive at college level when healthy.

Byron Ross, wide receiver, Southeastern Louisiana
5'10, 186 pounds

No contract, just a tryout. Native of Kentwood had seven catches against Tulane and eight catches against McNeese State. Has some ability at kick returner.

Luke Sanders, linebacker, LSU
6'5, 242 pounds, 4.76 40 yard dash

Native of West Monroe and former Tiger is tall, big and smart. A poor man's Scott Fujita. Pushed 225 pounds up 31 times at the LSU pro day, four reps more than DT Glenn Dorsey, making his weightlifting dad proud. Sanders is not very quick and is a marginal pro athlete despite his strength and two years of college starting experience at a premier program. Played in 44 games in his career and is experienced on special teams.

Outside linebacker in college will play safety in the pros. As a result, is very raw. Fast, extremely quick and a great leaper but thin and underbuilt as a pro athlete. Only pressed 225 pounds twice at his pro day. Has recovered from a torn ACL in his college career. Extremely productive as a tackler. In grad school.

Ryan Senser, long snapper, University of Ohio
6'3, 241 pounds

Arizona State transfer. Knee injury in senior year of high school. Uncle, Joe, played for the Vikings. Recovered a fumble on a muffed punt against Virginia Tech in 2007. Reliable at collegiate level.

Averaged 4.7 yards per carry as a senior with eight touchdowns, leading his 3-8 team in rushing with 510 yards.. Missed the final two games with a wrist injury. Transferred from Oregon State where he walked on to the team. Carried 25 times for 141 yards, and caught five passes for 47 yards and a TD in a win over Eastern Washington when asked to start at tailback due to injury. Very hard worker.

One of two offensive linemen from Georgia Tech signed after the draft by the Saints. Team captain and three-year starting center. Given Matt Lehr's questionable availability because of his steroids investigation, not to mention his injury history, has a real shot at making the team. Tough and durable at college level, but might not be athletic enough to play in the NFL. Needs to hit the weight room with a vengeance.